Turntables — European Audio Team (EAT) FORTISSIMO

Built by European Audio Team (EAT), the belt-drive Fortissimo is the largest model of the brand's Forte platform family. It takes the two-part platter engineering introduced in the Forte and Forte S to its fullest current form.

Key specs that matter

The Fortissimo plays at 33 and 45 rpm, with an AC motor driving the platter through a belt. Wow and flutter is rated at 0.007%, the best figure in the Forte family, while signal-to-noise reaches 73 dB. The plinth measures 710 x 250 x 440 mm, and at 68 kg the Fortissimo is the heaviest member of the family.

Engineering and use context

The platter is built from two parts in different alloys, a softer one and a harder one. Joining the two materials reduces the flow of resonant energy through the platter, the same principle EAT applies in the smaller Forte models. The turntable can be supplied with a tonearm already fitted, and the arm offered for it is EAT's own F-Note.

Pairing

The optional F-Note is the arm EAT itself pairs with this platform, so buyers who take the factory-fitted version get a matched deck and arm from one maker.

Alternatives

Below the Fortissimo in the same platform family, the EAT Forte S shares the two-part platter concept at a more modest scale and price.